Empire Of Illusion: The End Of Literacy And The Triumph Of Spectacle

A man named David Cooperrider gives a lecture at the Claremont Graduate University. He is touting a theory of positive thinking that he calls “Transformational Positivity” (115). A key message suggests that, through optimism, organizations can bring about positive structural changes in the workplace. Cooperrider has many corporate clients, including The United Nations, Wal-Mart, and the U.S. Navy. He believes that “institutions can be a vehicle for bringing more courage into the world, for amplifying love in the world” (116).

Hedges calls positive psychology a “quack science” (117) that provides a cover for corporate abuse; he notes that those who endorse it are usually paid by corporations. Hedges describes a professor at Harvard named Dr. Tal D Ben-Shahar who teaches a popular course on positive psychology that “pumps out the catchy slogans and clichés that color all cheap self-improvement schemes” (118), linking corporate marketing jargon with the positive psychology movement.

Another speaker at the conference at the Claremont Graduate University is named Martin Seligman. Seligman announces that many large grants will be made available to researchers exploring the field of “positive neuroscience” (121). He hopes to locate where positivity resides in the brain and envisions schools where positive psychology has been incorporated into the curriculum.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, one of the original thinkers behind positive psychology, founded the idea of “flow” (121), a state in which a person is completely consumed by the task they are engaged in. A professor of psychology named Ed Diener researched Csikszentmihalyi’s ideas and found that qualities related to positive thinking were better predictors of positive emotions than money or starvation. Another professor at UCLA wrote that the development of certain illusions might be helpful in overcoming a threat. Despite these ideas that further the positive psychology approach to life, other thinkers such as David Jopling believe that self-deception damages one’s ability to be aware of oneself and others. Ultimately, this deception affects one’s ability to respond to reality and weakens one’s ability to connect authentically with other people.

Dr. Dacher Keltner, a Berkeley professor, defends positive psychology by claiming that its usurpation by corporations, the military, and the government is separate from its scientific validity. Hedges, however, claims that Keltner’s book on positive psychology reveals that positive psychology’s true purpose is to “manipulate people to do what you want” (125).

Hedges goes on to point out that two researchers named Christopher Peterson and Nansook Park report that they’ve discovered the most essential character traits in societies around the world. Traits such as honesty, kindness, and gratitude were more common than traits such as self-regulation or modesty. In contrast, another speaker named Kim Cameron claims to show businesses how happiness can lead to increased profits, which explains why corporations find positive psychology so interesting.

Many positive psychologists are members of the American Psychological Association (APA). Though the APA is linked with therapeutic practices that help people, the APA has also worked with the government in order to discover the most effective torture techniques in interrogations. Psychologists have been able to help establish torture techniques such as sensory deprivation that put prisoners in defenseless and catatonic states.

The dark side of psychology studies can also be observed in the fact that systems of power often use the concept of social harmony in order to control workers or citizens. According to Hedges, positive psychology is latest example of this kind of attack on individualism.

An anthropologist named Roberto Gonzalez writes about his experiences working at General Motors. According to Gonzalez, the creation of harmony between managers and workers is the goal of forming corporate work teams. This increase in harmony, in turn, will ultimately improve efficiency. These work teams are a part of a long history of attempts by corporate managers to create harmony amongst workers in order to streamline efficiency. In Japan, Toyota has created a work environment that allows for total control of its workers. Young men are housed in dormitories where family visits are limited. These techniques are used by U.S. corporations and institutions as well. Such conditions are extremely stressful for workers and are reminiscent of techniques employed by North Korea and Communist China.

An employee at a FedEx Kinko’s named Anthony Vasquez explains how the company used positive psychology in its treatment of employees. When Vasquez truthfully reports to others that a fellow employee had been fired instead of perpetuating the company’s lie that the employee was skipping work, Vasquez is reprimanded. At a corporate meeting, positive psychology is used to encourage Vasquez to convince him he is happy with his difficult work conditions.